Constituents Remain Unswayed by Vote

By JONATHAN P. HICKS

Published: April 22, 2005

In the chambers and corridors of City Hall, Allan W. Jennings Jr. has been roundly denounced this week, censured for sexually harassing two female subordinates after a City Council inquiry found that he had ordered one aide to clean his house and given another a pornographic gift, among other allegations.

But in his home district in Queens, the situation is different. There, in the neighborhoods of the 28th Council District, which Mr. Jennings has represented since his election four years ago, many civic and community leaders were rallying around him yesterday, strongly supporting him despite the charges against him.

''Councilman Jennings's problems are with the Council and the Democratic Party in Queens, not with us,'' said Ruth Bryan, the president of Southeast Queens Concerned Neighbors. ''He and his staff have always been available to the people in this community. He has made mistakes, like we all do. But some of us feel that he was the victim of an unfair process.''

By a vote of 43 to 2, the 51-member Council voted on Wednesday to fine Mr. Jennings $5,000, strip him of committee assignments and require him to submit to sensitivity training. In response, Mr. Jennings, comparing his suffering to that of Christ, has maintained that he will not resign and that he intends to seek re-election this year in his district, which includes Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village and South Ozone Park. He also said that he viewed his troubles with the Council as a battle ''between good and evil.''

Indeed, conversations with many leaders of civic and neighborhood organizations suggest that while support for him is not universal, Mr. Jennings might well remain a formidable candidate against even a well-organized challenger. To them, he is better known for his constituent services, like providing laptop computers to every third-, fourth- and fifth-grade student in his district.

Many in the district insist that the councilman has been a target of a Queens Democratic Party organization that has never supported him and that has used all of its muscle unsuccessfully to challenge him.

Furthermore, they insist, Mr. Jennings drew the ire of the Council speaker, Gifford Miller, by voting against an 18.5 percent property tax increase that the mayor and Council had agreed on three years ago.

Leaders of community organizations in the district describe Mr. Jennings as someone who works tirelessly, citing his office hours, which often extend to 9 p.m., and his willingness to respond to a constituent's problem with a personal visit.

''If the election were held today, would I vote for him?'' said Michael Duvalle, vice president of the South Ozone Park Civic Association. ''Yes, I would.''

''I have called his office at 8:30 at night and he has personally answered the phone,'' Mr. Duvalle said. ''You don't get that from other officials who are backed by the party. They know they are getting re-elected, and they feel they don't have to be responsive. They close their offices at 4:30.''

Mr. Duvalle added that every time there is a civic association meeting, a community event or even a violent incident like a shooting or stabbing, Mr. Jennings or his representative is on hand. ''His support is very strong in the community because he is always there and always involved.''

Even Mr. Jennings's likely opponent in the Democratic primary seemed reluctant to criticize him. Thomas White Jr., who represented the district in the Council before Mr. Jennings and is considering running for his old seat, said that he had not yet formed any opinion as to whether Mr. Jennings was vulnerable.

''To be perfectly honest, I made it a point not to really discuss this,'' Mr. White said yesterday. ''The Council voted on this, but I haven't had an opportunity to see what they voted on. And I have really spoken about it with people in the community.''

Audrey L. Lucas, a board member of the Sutphin Boulevard Civic Association, acknowledged that Mr. Jennings ''might be a flirt.''

''I mean, he's a man and men are always hitting on women,'' she said. But, she added, ''It still seems like some kind of kangaroo court thing down there. Gifford Miller hates him and so do the Queens Democratic Party leaders. And many people here feel that Allan Jennings is still our representative. Who else is going to stand up for us?''